Thus they are reluctant to express more than mild criticism of the others' misdeeds, for fear of being criticised themselves.
COUNTRIES, like families, tend to criticise themselves, but still feel aggrieved when they are assailed by outsiders.
Millennials, or 18 to 34-year-olds, are the most likely generation to criticise themselves, a new study by the Pew Research Centre has shown.
Executives from both companies are under investigation or have been jailed for corruption.When the 14-member Politburo at last finished their meeting, they issued a statement saying they "seriously criticised themselves and honestly admitted their mistakes", in the words of the Party leader, Nguyen Phu Trong, who made a speech broadcast by state media.
The official, quoted in People's Daily, a state-run newspaper, was taking part in a "democratic life meeting" run by the Communist Party in September in the northern province of Hebei, at which senior officials were required to criticise themselves and their colleagues.
But perhaps more surprising is the fact that not a single one of them mentions the war; it is left to me to raise it and, when I do, they defend it, or limit themselves to criticising the American post-invasion masterplan.
In public, Tory MPs have limited themselves to criticising Downing Street advisers for mishandling the affair, but behind closed doors, they increasingly express a view that "David is damaged" and are turning their minds more than ever to political life after Cameron.
Individual members of Synod who had voted against women bishops found themselves criticised when they returned home.
One blogger criticised the campaigners themselves, noting they fail to react so vociferously to Lebanon's censorship of art, for example.Lebanon's outraged politicians are certainly a little hypocritical.
On all fronts Cameron and his team have found themselves criticised not just for being too posh and rich to understand ordinary people, but for showing Dad's Army-style incompetence as well.
